The BoMel era appears to be over in Oakland.
According to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, Bob Melvin has agreed to a three-year contract to become the next manager of the San Diego Padres. The move ends Melvin’s 11-year run as the A’s skipper.
Though Melvin was under contract for one more year, Cassavell reported that the A’s allowed Melvin to interview with the Padres and that no compensation was heading back to Oakland for the hire.
Melvin’s 11 seasons and 853 wins as manager were second in the franchise only to the legendary Connie Mack, who captained the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-1950. Melvin leaves with an 853-764 record (.528) in Oakland and led the team to six postseason appearances, but just one postseason series win.
Melvin inherits one of MLB’s most talented -- but also most disappointing -- rosters from 2021. Despite stars like Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Yu Darvish and Blake Snell, the Padres finished 79-83 in the ultra-competitive National League West.
A’s players are sure to miss Melvin, who consistently earned the respect of his clubhouse throughout his tenure with his up-front communication style. There’s a quiet swagger about Melvin, who also had managerial stints with the Seattle Mariners (2003-04) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2005-09).
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When surveying the field for Melvin’s possible replacement, keep an eye on Atlanta Braves third-base coach Ron Washington. ‘Wash’ is still beloved in A’s circles after coaching in the organization from 1996-2006 and then again in 2015-16. Washington, 69, managed the Texas Rangers from 2007-14 and led the team to consecutive American League pennants in 2010-11.
This could be just the first sign of major upheaval from the A’s this offseason, as stars like first baseman Matt Olson, third baseman Matt Chapman, left-hander Sean Manaea and right-hander Chris Bassitt are due for escalating salaries in arbitration and could be considered as trade bait, given the franchise’s historically tight-fisted budgets.
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